- William Dudley has never starred in a movie, never recorded a CD or won the lottery. But nowadays, he says, he knows what it's like to be a celebrity.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
smart cars make you feel like a rock star.
Here is an article about how the smart makes you feel like a celebrity.
Mercedes B-Class is coming to the USA.
Bloomberg is reporting that Mercedes is planning to bring the B-Klasse to the States.
This will compete with the smart and other mini/micro cars.
Excerpts:
- July 25 (Bloomberg) -- DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's second-biggest luxury automaker, is designing a version of its Mercedes-Benz B-Class car for sale in North America for the first time, the company's top U.S. executive said.
The B-class, available in Europe since 2005, is due for redesign in 2011 or 2012 and prototypes include a model that would meet North American regulatory requirements, said Ernst Lieb, chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA. The mini crossover is bigger than General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Aveo and smaller than Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla.
Autoblog Green's First Drive impressions
Autoblog Green has posted a recent "driving impression" blog in their website.
Like everyone else, they had to attend one of the US Smart tour events. Their conclusion is pretty much the same as everything else written on the web- This car is better than the one it replaced.
Reservations officially hits 20,000 mark.
The Detroit News covers the smart car as it arrives in auto city, Detroit. smart car USA officials tells us that the demand is overwhelming.
- "The response has been overwhelming," David Schembri, president of Smart USA, said at a presentation in Detroit Tuesday of the boxy, 8.8-foot car, called the Fortwo.
In other news, Safety is a big concern from potential drivers.
Despite the tridiom safety cell, there are still doubts concerning the safety of the small vehicle.
- Still, in an accident, "the laws of physics can't be repealed," said Russ Rader of the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Even with modern safety features like multiple air bags, people in small, light cars are always at a disadvantage in crashes."
Another view
Smart USA spokesman Ken Kettenbeil said U.S. tests are likely to be completed this year with the result released in the fall, and that the company expects a four-star crash rating.
Euro NCAP tests on the City Coupe found that the car provided good protection for the driver and passenger, particularly with side impacts. But the agency found while there was good head and leg protection for a passenger in a front impact, there was weak protection for that person's chest. The driver had good head protection and adequate chest protection, but poor to adequate leg protection in a front-end impact.
The new model, nearly 8 inches longer, features improvements including a steel safety cage ADAC's Luca likened to a race car designed to protect the driver and spread out the energy from a crash across the car.
Smart also has touted the two "crash boxes" in the front and rear of the car that help spread energy from a collision across the safety cell.
Summer News
In other micro car news, Fiat finally released their "mini competitor"- the Fiat 500 (Motor Trend). This has been a highly anticpated launch in Europe with most inventory accounted for.
- It's unlikely the vehicle will make it to the U.S. market, with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne putting the brakes on rumors that the automaker was considering bringing the 500 here.
Renault is considering a new branding for their new fuel efficiency. It will be called Eco
June proves to be a strong sales month with lower gas prices.
However, the Long Beach Press Telegram notes that the smart car is showing high interest before its debut.
- However, some of the hottest interest in vehicles this summer may be for a tiny,fuel-efficient vehicle that hasn't even come to the United States yet.
451 smart Brabus Edition announced in Europe
Autoblog posted a press release from smart concerning the new Brabus hi performance edition smarts.. The press release originates from Europe and is for the Euro market.There is no news about US versions of Brabus.
- The sporty two-seater accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 155 km/h.
The big question now is price. Judging from the pricing, the passion cabrio is 22K Euro.
22,430.00 EUR = 30,141.24 USD
I don't know to many people who would spend $30K for a 98 bhp machine that reaches naught to sixty in 10 seconds. I, personally, would get the new 1 series for that kind of pricing.
Toronto police to get smart cars
Edmunds InsideLine covers the street tour
Edmunds InsideLine just released a new article covering the excitement of the roadshow.
Here is little quote of interest:
Trouble is, the Fortwo doesn't get as good freeway gas mileage as a Honda Civic hybrid (40 mpg vs. 50 mpg), although the president of Smart U.S.A, Dave Schembri, offers a corrective assessment: "The Fortwo gets 40 miles per gallon if driven like a maniac, over 50 if babied."
THIS IS NOT a smart car accident!
People have mistakenly claim the car as a fortwo and posters are telling people to cancel their $99 reservations.
I will not show or link to it because it is very gruesome. It is very graphic and disturbing.
In fact, the car is not a fortwo but a Volkswagen CrossFox. The crossfox does not have the tridion safety cell. In the event this was a fortwo, I would suspect that it would have bounced on impact.
Hopefully, this post will dispel those nasty rumors circulating the blogosphere and chat forums. The fortwo has shown how it handles with larger cars like the Mercedes E and S-Class.
This video from youtube shows how it would fare hitting a wall.
NHTSA gives fortwo high ratings with concern
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Smart two-door car its top score of five stars in side testing because of its protection against injuries.
But when NHTSA conducted the side test, the driver door unlatched and opened. The government says that could lead to a driver or passenger being ejected from the vehicle.
The vehicle received four out of five stars in the front-end crash on the driver's side. On the passenger side, it received three out of five stars.
Duh. The concern is unwarranted. Drivers need to buckle up their seat belts. This solves the problem of being ejected.
The fortwo matches comparable Toyota Yaris and the Chevy Cobalt.
This is indeed good news for the smart car.
Here is a video from youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbg7KDifD70
Cities will have to rethink parking for smarts
Wow, my hometown newspaper has a great article on smart and parking.
The SF Chronicle reports that cities have to rethink their parking policies with new small micro cars.
I am hoping we get free designated parking.
The SF Chronicle reports that cities have to rethink their parking policies with new small micro cars.
I am hoping we get free designated parking.
The 1st real SMART competitor - IQ
Toyota launched one of the biggest PR at the Geneva 2008 Auto Show. Introducing the "production ready" IQ.
I think the name IQ is a direct jab the the smart
- PRESS RELEASE
World premiere of Toyota's new urban car: the iQ
• Production version of the Concept C ar iQ premiered
• 'J-Factor' underpins iQ design
• Six unique space-saving engineering innovations represent a milestone in Toyota's automotive engineering
• Revolutionary packaging concept provides ample space for a 3+1 seating configuration within a sub 3 metres length
• Small urban car with low emission engines and aerodynamics reduces environmental impact
• Manufacturing starts late 2008 with a global sales target of 100,000 vehicles for the first year of production
Gas will hit $4 a gallon
The media is already reporting that will most likely hit $4 a gallon by summer. What else is new? Gas peaked at $3.79 in the San Francisco Bay Area. I assume we will be way above the national average. My guess, $4.30.
2006 ASRA Solo Champion: Robert Lombardi
Rob has won for the second year in a row the ASRA Solo Championship and I have asked him to recap his season for the Pure Motorbike Passion readers.
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The 2006 season quest to win a second Solo National Championship was one of ups and downs and I mean downs. It all started with a decent showing in Daytona despite a number mix up that ended putting me in the back of the grid for the 3 restarts due to red flag incidents. After a very angry 2 ½ hour race I managed to fight my way back to 9th place. Not good but in 2005 march Daytona I got a 7th and I still managed to win the championship. So I went home with high hopes, but feeling a little cheated out of a possible higher finish! Now this is where it gets good. Last February I bought a new 2006 GSXR 1000 to convert it later into a race bike but I crashed it after only one month in the streets of Brooklyn . It was a cold night and I had got about ½ miles into my 3 mile ride home when I made a slow left hand turn. I suddenly found my self in the ground gasping for air. My bike with only 80 miles on it was destroyed. It turns out that our friendly Con Edison “JO” left an 8X10 - 2 inch thick camouflaged built up on one side with asphalt in the middle of the entrance of the turn. I had broken 5 ribs and one of them broken in 2 places: six brakes in all. -“Nice job”- the doctor said; “-do not race until you are completely healed because another fall could puncture a lung or your heart”-! It was early in the season so I canceled my entry for Road America : too bad because in 2005 I had won that round. I did whatever I could to remain in shape during this time but it was tough. Broken ribs hurt like a son of a gun and make impossible to sleep! The next race was Blackhawk Farms on the 7th of May. I was still in a lot of pain, especially under hard braking, but I managed to win the race. I was now in 2nd place in the championship, 5 points behind the leader. I was pumped up, healing nicely and ready for the next race in Topeka, Kansas on June 16th. I had never been at that track, but I was excited and committed to win even thought it was Al Harris’s home circuit, at that point the championship leader. About 1 hour into the competition, with almost a one lap lead, I lost the front end going into the chicane and I busted again my ribs and cracked my sternum. For 4 days I was unable to get out of bed and it was only two weeks away from the next round in Summit Point. Against all advice as soon as I hit the floor I knew I was racing no matter what. I went as far as doing a 6 lap sprint at Vir to get some regional points towards my F40 championship: I did it with some 800 mil Advil’s and Novocain patches all over my chest and my back, but 6 laps were different from the 78 laps required in Summit Point. In West Virginia I rested until the race day: 2 1/2 hours of hell. With enough Advil to kill a horse and enough pain patches to numb Godzilla, to my surprise I won the race! Barber, in Alabama on August 25th was next: I felt tired and weary. All the injuries were taking a toll on my body and mind. But I was on a mission at that point nothing was going to stop me. The battle was between me and Travis Meycnern, a battle that lasted for over two hours under light rain conditions. At the end of the day the younger man got the victory by only a few seconds but I was back leading the championship with 11 points lead on Al. One month to heal and get in shape before the race in VIR, my home track. The race went off with troubles on the warm up lap: it seemed that the check valve on the new quick fill system was failing and gas was quickly filling the over flow tank. At this point I could only hope for the best but luckily the race was red flagged, right after the start, and so the technical issue was quickly resolved by my crew. In Vir I finished with a respectable 3rd place and with 37 point lead and only one race left, in Daytona, I am again the 2006 ASRA Solo Champion!
I would like to add that the Michelin tires are unbelievable and have been critical in winning the championship
Special thanks to: Frank Aluzzo from United Water Mains for his incredible support through the season and never giving up on me; Ron Wood and Michelin Tires; Roy at Absolute cycle; Almos Gyorffy; Johnny Brazil; Alex Matteucci; Steve Lombardi; all the guys at NYSB club and most of all my Wife Lorraine who against her better judgment supported me all season.
Rob
Robert Lombardi Racing School: Pocono 9-29-06
Last Friday Robert and I had the last school event for the 2006 season. The day started in the wrong way with rain and cold wind. On top of that Pocono Raceway not only gave us the gravel area to pit, but also denied the usage, for really questionable reasons, of the only small shed available. We were counting on this little shack as classroom and at that point we felt a bit lost given the fact that we had eight students. After examining different solutions we opted for a tent with some kind of sidings, a table and a few chairs. With a blackboard, a lot of passion and the positive attitude from the school partecipants, it took only one hour to overcome the morning issues and create a “warm” atmosphere.
Even this time Robert Lombardi’s Road Racing School was able to deliver what promised: all the students improved drammatically their confidence, speed and overall riding skills. At the end of the day everybody had a big smile and a positive comment about their track experience. A lot of them claimed to be already addicted to the track experience and that they couldn't wait for the next event. Unless they are willing to travel to Jennings in Florida in January they would have to wait until the end of another long and nasty New York winter before warming up again their bikes.
MotoGp Music: 2007 previews
At this point we should have a good idea of the new 800cc MotoGp bikes. Magazine, newspapers and internet have provided us with pictures, videos and interesting technical details. Now we know that they perform almost like the current ones and most likely the engine evolution during next winter will bring much more horse power on the wheels.
All of them seems much smaller, to the point that even minute riders like Pedrosa or Capirossi seem suddenly bigger. The handling is completely different: nimble, capable of carrying a lot of entrance-mid corner speed. The electronics in the slipper clutches, traction control system, fuel injection (most likely “imported” from F1) has virtually eliminated the risk of high siding at the exit of the turns. Now we see riders washing the front while trailbraking or losing the read by the apex, or between apexes in double turns.
The new bikes look very symilar to the old ones with the exception of the Honda. The almost inexistent and chopped tail coupled to the long boxed swingarm makes the rider to look like a jocky on a pony. But there must be something else “under the tank” because last Monday a crowd of people, and among them Capirossi, gathered in front to the Honda garage to see the new creature, RC212V. Only at the first race in 2007 we will see who have created the best motogp, and until then we will have to pick our favorite missile judging by the look and the music: my choice goes to the “Il pompone Ducati”.
Round 14: Grand Prix of Japan
Today at the Japanese MotoGp in Motegi they must have served spaghetti al dente instead of sushi because the Italians have cleaned the table: Capirossi first, Rossi second and Melandri third.
Nakano tried hard to grab the 4th place away from Gibernau, but at the last lap his front tire was clipped by the Ducati and so he crashed serving Hayden the 5th place on the silver plate.
The show was a bit boring with just a few changes in position during the whole race. The track has the typical stop an go layout with several slow turns connected by straights not long enough to use the wind draft to overtake the other rider. With a lack of fast long turns where to make the difference all the riders were forced to use the same line to maintain a good pace making even more difficult to attack on the brakes.
With only 12 points separating Hayden from Rossi and 2 races to go the World Championship is becoming breathtaking: next appointment in Portugal in three weeks.
Latest MotoGp Joke
The writer supports his claim by looking at the total accumulation of points earned by the two riders in the time frame: 340 for Rossi versus 315 for Hayden. The same writer and motorbike expert claims that both riders have achieved such result by “completely different routes”: Rossi winning 9 times to Hayden’s one, and the American with a more consistent performance than the Italian’s one.
At this point I have a question for the magazine writer: have you been following at all this year World Championship or not? Because if you did, you have obviously forgot that Rossi has suffered at least the following issues so far this year: in the first part of the season his M1 had a terrible chattering that forced the Japanese company to rebuild completely the frame of the bike; the first race crash caused by Elias; a faulty Michelin tire forced him out during a race; an defective engine stopped running another time when leading his competitors with a big gap; also for 2 races he wore a cast due to the broken wrist incurred in practice.
In addition I would like to remind this journalist the big crash caused by Gibernau that involved Capirossi, Melandri and Pedrosa. Gibernau stopped racing for most of the season while the other 3 riders where seriously affected in their performance for at least 2 races.
Hayden is a good rider, but he will make the podium only under very favorable circumstances. His Honda has proved to be a great, consistent bike with an engine capable to suddenly rejuvenate a “slow” Kenny Robert’s Junior after years of poor results.
In the recent years Rossi has been compared by different magazines around the world to Agostini so if we follow the suggestion of that magazine we could say that:
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